Excavating device for subaqueous material



May 28, 1946. l J. KAI- IX 2,400,882

EXGAVATING DEVICE Fon SUBAQUEOUS MATERIAL Original Filed Oct. 26, 1945@im Kzix,

@warmup Patented May 28, 1946 MATERIAL John Kalix, Dayton, Ohio Originalapplication October 26, 1943, Serial No.

507,663. Divided and this application September 5, 1944, Serial No.552,787

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3700.(G. '757)` 2 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government for governmental purposes, without payment to me of anyroyalty thereon.

This invention relates to the art of dredging and more particularly itis directed to an excavating device of the type disclosed in thecopending application Serial No. 507,663, led October 26, 1943, andentitled Apparatus for excavating subaqueous material, of which thisapplication is a division.

One of the objects of the invention is to Drovide an excavating deviceincluding a combined suction pump and electric motor for driving thesame mounted in the suction mouth end of a suction pipe of a hydraulicdredge, together with a cutterhead connected to be directly driven, atthe same speed as the pump, whereby subaqueous material is loosened andbroken up by the cutterhead, and sucked through the suction pipe by thesuction pump for delivery to any place desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide an excavating device forsubaqueous material which is compact in construction, efficient in useand not liable to become out of order.

With the above and other objectsand advantages in View the inventionconsists of certain features of construction and operation of partswhich will hereinafter be described and shown in the accompanyingdrawing in which:

'I'he ligure is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of one end ofa suction pipe having a motor driven suction pump mounted therein, witha cutterhead directly connected to be driven by the suction pump. Y

Referring more specically to the figure, the free end I of a suctionpipe 2 for a hydraulic dredge (not shown) is formed with a portion 3 ofleast cross-section having a bell-shaped suction mouth 4 mounted on anouter end of the portion 3 of the suction pipe 2 and a frustoconicalshaped section 5 mounted on its inner end, whereby a substantiallyVenturi-shaped passage 6 is provided in which the suction pump 'I ismounted. Y

The suction pump 'I is preferably of the propeller type including animpeller 8 having blades 9 mounted thereon and operable within thesuction mouth 4. The impeller 8 is directly driven by any suitable typeof electric motor I0 centrally mounted on ribs II within the passage 6.

A cutterhead I2 having blades I3 removably mounted thereon is operablein front of the bellshaped suction mouth 4 and is directly connected tothe motor-driven impeller B by arms I4 and a central rod I5 mounted on abracket I6 secured to the outer end of the impeller, whereby thecutterhead I2 is driven at the same speed and in the same direction asthe motor driven impeller. The electric motor I0 has a rearwardlyextending streamline portion I1 and is connected by conductors I8passing through a vertically extending conduit I9, said conductors I8being connected to a suitable source of electrical supply (not shown).In order to regulate the speed of operation of the electric motor I0, arheostat 20 may be connected in circuit with the conductors I8.

In operation, assuming that the suction pipe 2 has been lowered untilits free end I has engaged subaqueous material in a body of water (notshown) and that the electric motor I0 has been connected to asuitablesource of electrical supply, upon actuating the rheostat 20 the electricmotor I0 may be rotated at any speed desired, thus driving the impeller8. 'I'he cutterhead I2 being directly connected to and driven at thesame speed as the impeller loosens and breaks up the subaqueousmaterial, while the blades I3 of the cutterhead and the blades 9 of theimpeller break up the subaqueous material into smaller pieces, therebyincreasing the carrying capacity of the water in the subaqueousmaterial. The broken subaqueous material is then sucked through thesuction mouth 4 by the suction created by the impeller 8, which pumpsthe subaqueous material through the passage 6 into the suction pipe 2where it may be delivered to any place desired.

It will thus be seen that there has herein been provided a novel andeiicient form of excavating device, which is well adapted for thepurpose intended. `Even ,though there has herein been shown certainfeatures of construction and operation of parts, it is nevertheless tobe understood that various changes may be made therein, if the changesdo not depart from the spirit or scope of the claims.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new and wish tosecure by Letters Patent 1s:

1. In combination with a suction pipe including a portion of leastcross-section having a bellshaped suction mouth at one end and afrustoconical shaped section on its other end whereby a substantiallyVenturi-shaped passage is provided in said suction pipe, a motor andimpeller unit mounted on said suction pipe portion of leastcross-section, said impeller operable within the suction mouth of thesuction pipe and driven by said motor and cutter blades mounted to bedriven by said impeller, said cutter blades operable outside of andadjacent to the suction mouth end of the suction pipe.

2. In combination with a suction pipe including a section of leastcross-section having a bellshaped mouth at one end and a frusto-conicalshaped section on its other end whereby a substantially Venturi-shapedpassage is provided in said suction pipe, ribs mounted on said suctionpipe portion of least cross-section, a combined motor, impeller andcutterhead mounted on said ribs, said motor at one end beingstream-lined and projecting into said frusto-concal shaped section, saidimpeller mounted on the other end of said motor and operable Within thesuction mouth of the suction pipe and said cutterhead mounted on one endof said impeller and operable outside of and adjacent to the suctionmouth end of the suction pipe.

JOHN KALIX,

